


Out of Time

by A_Mad_Youkai_Tea_Party



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: AU, Aged up characters due to five hundred years passing for most of them, By most I mean everyone but Sango Miroku and Kirara, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Romance, Time Travel, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-01 10:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20256298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Mad_Youkai_Tea_Party/pseuds/A_Mad_Youkai_Tea_Party
Summary: When our favorite monk and taijiya duo end up going on a mission on their own, they expected to be back quickly. After all, it wasn't like they could leave Inuyasha alone when he was clearly mourning the recent loss of Kagome after the well stopped working. But things have never gone exactly to plan. After getting sealed in a mirror, they're freed five-hundred years later...





	1. Chapter 1

"Miroku?"

"Don't worry, I'm still here Sango."

Miroku tried to be reassuring. But that was rather difficult when in a situation as dire as this. The darkness that surrounded him was almost suffocating – and he couldn't see where Sango was. He was grateful that he could he hear her, at least, even though their voices echoed, which made it impossible to find each other in the darkness they were trapped in through that method. But still, Sango's voice was his saving grace. It was the only reason why he hadn't fallen into despair.

It hadn't been too dire of a job. Just a few people who went missing, a youkai being the most likely cause. They hadn't thought to include Inuyasha. He was desperately waiting Kagome. No one had the heart to tell him that they were certain the well wouldn't work again. So, they left him to his grief, in the gentle care of Kaede, and went on the job as a trio. Just the two of them and Kirara.

Oh, they had been so stupid.

They had followed the trail to an abandoned village not too far away – Inuyasha could make the trip in half a day, if he was so inclined. They youkai in question had been collecting humans to feed their livers to its ill father – apparently human livers weren't only considered a delicacy to this youkai but were also very nutritious and could for overcoming most aliments. The fresher they were, the better they worked.

Miroku had hardly needed to lend a hand in the fight. After all, one throw of the Hiraikotsu, and the first demon was already vanquished. But the monk was perfectly fine with standing back and enjoying the very nice view of his soon-to-be wife's figure. That tight-fitting garb was a blessing he'd never mention. He had been waiting so long for Sango, and he knew that she wouldn't be comfortable fully giving herself to him without first being bound by marriage. He wouldn't push the issue (he had some standards… and there was no privacy, thanks to Inuyasha's superior senses of hearing and smell), but he was still a man with desires who hadn't bedded a woman in what felt like centuries.

The second youkai, though larger, was almost easier than the first. He was angry and screaming and didn't seem to keen on using that newfound energy on attacking or fleeing. It seemed like a foolish death wish. But the words he was screeching…

They were too fast for Miroku to hear all of them. But he knew instantly that it was some kind of curse.

He ran forward, Kirara beating him to her mistress, before suddenly he was enveloped in a bright light. It was blinding, and when it faded Miroku wondered if he had gone blind. Then he realized he was floating. There was nothing supporting him. He could even tell if he was laying on his back or standing up straight.

"Houshi-sama?!"

The voice had echoed out in desperation, followed by Kirara's comforting purr.

He turned his head, as if he could will her to appear before him, "Sango?! Where are you?!"

But her reply was cut off by a deafening laugh.

"Get used to that darkness. It's all you will have for eternity."

Miroku wondered how long an eternity could be.

They could hear things from the mirror. Most of it was muffled, typically, which made if very hard to figure out what was going on outside. They were certain that at one-point they heard Inuyasha, though that may have been wishful thinking. Especially since they must have been a few days ago, and they hadn't heard it since then. And if Inuyasha had been nearby, he would have figured out something, right?

Sango mentioned that she was actually holding onto Kirara. Miroku almost felt jealous that the fact that she had something to comfort her. But he didn't because he knew that Sango needed that comfort more than him.

Time meant very little. Despite the fact that it felt like weeks went by, they never grew hungry or tired. They did sleep though. Though that had been more to escape their reality, rather than actual necessity. There wasn't a lot they could do, after all. They could really move much, and they couldn't see anything. So, all they did was sleep and talk.

They told each other stories they heard, theories over what everyone they knew were probably doing right now, how much they were glad that they had each other at least. When they ran out of those kinds of thoughts, they talked about weird things they had seen happen during their adventure. Things they had been sworn never to speak of, weird thoughts they had had about certain encounters. They got into a huge debate over what the hell the fluffy thing Sesshomaru carried around was.

They eventually decided to get their past out of the way. Sango told him about her training in her village. Of the silly things she got up to with her brother, and all the things she did that left her father both amazed and exasperated. Every youkai she slayed, and how she hadn't been too insecure about the scars until she met him. She told him of their meeting from their perspective, and the weaved the story of their love with such a mix fondness and ire.

Miroku returned in kind. He told her of his two horrible role models, his father and his father's best friend, and how he wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. He told of her the stupid things he did when he was angry and grieving, unable to comprehend his father's horrible death and unwilling to accept that he now possessed the curse that would cause him the same fate. He told her of his first time, something blurry that he could hardly remember because he was too busy trying to escape emotional pain through physical pleasure and a whole lot of sake.

He told her of every time after that, apologizing to Sango every time, mentioning off-hand that he was uncertain if his lecherous ways started because of blood, his role models, or because needed to do something with his cursed hand that didn't hurt. As if he could make it disappear just a little while by ignoring it. He told her of his most pleasurable experiences, and one that ended with him panicked after a drunk, young woman had nearly gotten herself sucked into his _kazaana_.

There was no one else in the world who knew them better than they knew each other.

And yet, that only brought a little bit of comfort in the darkness.

"Do you think anyone is worried? We must have been gone for quite some time now…" Sango tried to keep the sadness out of her voice.

Miroku sighed, "It must have been at least a few months. I'm sure Inuyasha is doing all he can. I bet he's tormenting everyone he knows looking for the answer on how to free us. He already lost Kagome, he won't let us leave him so easily."

And then, above him, a little drop of light appeared, followed by a few more.

"Ow! That really hurt!"

Miroku could see. It took a bit for his eyes to adjust, but he could see. And he could see Sango. He desperately reached for her, as she did for him. He could fee his tears. He could see hers. Then Kirara shifted, and suddenly he was yanked by his staff into the woman he loved. He buried his face into her shoulder and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He just needed to feel that she was there. And it seemed she felt the need to return the gesture.

The young, masculine, voice returned as a couple more drops of light landed on the mirror, "I'm fine Mama, I just cut myself on some old mirror. How did we get this thing anyway?"

Sango's whispers reached his ears next, "Do you… do you think we could be…?"

"Buyo no!"

Suddenly, the light formed into cracks that surrounded them.

Then they were enveloped by it.

Miroku positioned himself in a defense stance with his staff, protecting Sango as well as he could. Kirara had positioned herself behind them. He was inside what seemed to be a storage hut, filled with many items – all of them appeared very dated. The were mirror shards on he ground around them. In front of them, a young boy looked at them in shock, clutching onto a cat that must have the 'Buyo' mentioned.

What worried Miroku the most, however, as that the boy was dressed in clothing that he had only seen on rare occasions. He wore a simple 'tank top' with 'jeans' and 'sneakers'. Clothing he had only been introduced to thanks to Kagome. That wasn't comforting. By the way Sango suddenly tightened her grip, Miroku guessed that she had come to a similar conclusion.

And then the boy decided to break the silence.

"Mama! I think I may have accidently summoned some youkai and I don't know what to do!"


	2. Chapter 2

Sango straightened herself at the boy's exclamation, removed her hand from her Hiraikotsu, and placed a hand on Miroku's shoulder. Kirara and Miroku were both quick to follow her lead. The boy that stood before them could be one of the only people who could give them a clue as to what possibly had transpired. It wasn't the best idea to scare him off before they could ask him questions. The boy did seem to relax a little when Kirara returned to her smaller form and moved to rest in Sango's arms, so it didn't seem like they had given him a reason distrustful.

"What's wrong, Souta– Oh."

That announced the arrival of the boy's mother. Something tugged at Sango's memory, as if the name held meaning to her, but she brushed it aside to take in the newcomer. The woman had the shortest hair Sango had ever seen on a human woman, but despite that, she didn't seem very poor. Her clothing was as strange as her son's, but the rich violet of shirt suggested that she must have possessed some wealth. Although, now that Sango thought about it, she had seen Kagome go through many strange clothing items during their travels, and in her land those colors seemed to be more common. So it would be rash to jump to that conclusion.

"My apologies for startling you" Miroku started, "It wasn't our intention. I am humble monk, Miroku, and this my companion Sango - a youkai taijiya. It appears that you managed to break the seal that kept us trapped in the mirror. You have our thanks."

The boy, Souta, blinked before he replied, "No problem. It was kinda an accident."

"Hold on a moment. You're Miroku-sama, Sango-san and... Kirara-chan?" the woman asked.

"Yes. How did you know Kirara's name?" Sango reached up and pet the nekomata when she seemed to perk up.

The woman gave a sad smile, "My daughter mentioned that five hundred years ago there was a monk and taijiya that she met whenever she traveled through the well. Inuyasha-san has also mentioned the two of you on occasion."

"You're Kagome-chan's mother?"

"Why don't we head inside for some tea? I'll try an explain as much as I can until Kagome get's here" she turned to her son, "Souta, would you call her and tell her what has happened."

* * *

Kagome was going to have Inuyasha's ears as soon as they got to the shrine.

It wasn't that she didn't understand the desperation. When Inuyasha had told her about their friends fate, Kagome couldn't contain her tears. The idea that they had disappeared, devoured by some kind of youkai, had been heartbreaking. Even more so when Inuyasha blamed himself because he had been spent most of his time hidden at the bottom of the dry well. So, the fact that he wanted to get there as soon as he could was understandable. Whether they were alive, or a demon was attempting to deceive them, they had to see for themselves. The desperation was reasonable.

But, as much as Kagome loved riding on Inuyasha's motorcycle, she hated how fast he was decided was appropriate in this instance.

Honestly, the speed was not the only problem. He weaved through traffic, ignored red lights and she was certain he cut a couple of people off. As reassuring as it was to see that Inuyasha hadn't completely changed in the five hundred years he'd waited for her, she wouldn't have complained if he had become a little less reckless. Especially when she was involved. It didn't matter that, in the worse-case scenario, he could easily get them both off and away from the bike before they were in serious danger. She was still a little worried.

_And yet_, she thought to herself, _if he was running instead of taking his bike, I'd be completely comfortable with him doing the exact same things. I guess it's the motorcycle I don't trust_.

Kagome would have yelled at Inuyasha to try to obey some laws, but she knew that with the wind and the helmets, even Inuyasha's ears wouldn't be able to pick up her voice. He probably wouldn't have really listened to her anyway – when Inuyasha had his mind set on something, it was difficult to change it. But she could always get him back for this later. Ayame seemed to have Kouga completely wrapped around her finger, maybe she could give out some tips? And Kagome's future sister-in-law must have had some skills, considering how she managed to deal with Sesshoumaru. Maybe a girl's day was needed?

Inuyasha started to slow done as the shrine came into view, Kagome put aside all thoughts of 'revenge' and turned her focus to the shrines steps. Inuyasha removed himself from motorcycle first, before he helped her down. She felt a bit of jealously as she watched Inuyasha remove his helmet, his hair always managed to be undisturbed, no matter what he wore. Meanwhile, she could already tell she was going to have the worst helmet hair, and of course it would be right before she'd see her old friends. Still when he saw how worried she was, Inuyasha attempted to smooth out the bird's nest that was on her head, before he swept her into his arms and completely skipped the steps in one leap.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha when he tensed, "What's wrong?"

"It's very faint, but I can smell Souta's blood" he replied.

"If they're some shapeshifting youkai, I swear they're not going to enjoy what I'll do to them if they've harmed my brother" she glared at the door, "Can you pick up anything else?"

Inuyasha shook his head, "They blood smell is coming for the trash, so I don't think we have to worry too much in that regard. We're upwind, so I can't pick up on any scent through the breeze. I can just faintly hear some conversation, though I have to focus."

"Then I guess it's time to do what we do best – walk into a possible trap with complete disregard for the consequences."

* * *

To say that Sango was surprised to hear the full story of what really happened on Kagome's side of the well would have been an understatement. The truth was, outside of knowing that it connected Kagome to her world and theirs, Sango hadn't truly thought too much on it. Kagome's land had seemed like a place from some kind story. It was full of strange items, medicine and food, it almost didn't seem real. To learn that rather than coming from a magical land, she had instead come from a different period time – one that Sango never should have been able to see – was something she never would guessed. Though it certainly did explain quite a few things.

Miroku seemed to take everything in stride, and had lead the conversation with his usual charisma and wit, minus the inappropriate flirtations. To Sango, however, it was a little concerning. The monk did have the tendency to keep quiet whenever he felt bothered by something, especially when he thought his concerns might worry others. So it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to assume that he might be hiding his fear behind curiousness. After all, Sango herself wasn't sure she could process everything she had learnt.

Sango felt that she could really understand the frustration and confusion Inuyasha must have dealt with when he first woke up from being sealed.

Kagome's mother, Rei Higurashi, had taken Miroku's questions in stride and answered as well as she could. There were certain things she couldn't answer, as she no knowledge of what they were really talking about. But Kagome was still alive, she had moved out after graduating high school to live with Inuyasha (whatever that meant). Inuyasha was still alive, and he had waited five centuries to see Kagome again – that was the one thing Sango found rather normal about the situation, Inuyasha had always been stubborn when it came to Kagome. Everything else was a complete and total mystery to her.

When Souta called out for his mother, with a mention that he was certain he heard Inuyasha's motorcycle (Sango briefly wondered if it was something similar to Kagome's bicycle, though she couldn't really picture Inuyasha riding one of his own), Rei left to go check the front door. There was brief conversation before Kirara perked up from her place in Sango's lap. Suddenly, the sound of rushed footsteps filled the area, and Kagome stepped into view with a hand clasped over her mouth and tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Kagome hardly looked much older than she had when she disappeared. Her shirt struck Sango as odd, it was a dark green and left her shoulders bear, and it scrunched up a bit at the top. The top was tucked into a pair of jeans and her feet were covered by boots that had a slight heel to them. But Sango had quickly put those thoughts away when Inuyasha walked into view.

His appearance was that of his new moon nights, black hair, dark eyes and a lack of youkai-like features anywhere. His clothing was even stranger, a leather jacket covered his dark red shirt – the jacket was opened to reveal that the shirt had buttons along the front of it. It was tucked into pants that weren't exactly like the jeans Kagome wore, but was definitely different to anything else Sango had ever seen. He even wore shoes, which was probably the biggest, and most unexpected, different in appearance for him.

"Sango-chan. Miroku-sama."

And suddenly, Kagome had managed to pull them all into a group hug.


	3. Chapter 3

Miroku had to admit that, perhaps, his reaction to everyone being reunited had been a tad inappropriate. To be fair, though, it had been a stressful day – being sealed away for long had consequences. They were in a world he didn't recognise, many people that he once knew were no doubt dead. And the last time they had seen Inuyasha and Kagome, they had both been in very different states. Not just appearance, either. Kagome had seemed terrified when they saw her disappear to who-knows-where, while Inuyasha had been seriously grieving Kagome's loss when he returned.

Still, the sting from Sango's slap made it very clear that she didn't appreciate him ruining the emotional moment.

"It's been five hundred years since the last time I had a chance to fully admire your body, Sango" he stated, "I simply couldn't resist it much longer."

"Glad to see that you two haven't changed" Inuyasha quipped.

Sango gave him a deadpanned expression, "That certainly goes for some of us. What happened with you?"

Inuyasha smirked at the question, before he raised his hand to his wrist. There was a watch on it – a device that Kagome had mentioned once that told the time – that Inuyasha started to remove. As he did so, his appearance seem to flicker. His eyes occasionally switching to gold, his hair switching between black and white and his ears appearing on the top of his head in a more canine fashion. When the watch was completely removed and dropped onto the table they sat at, his appearance returned to that of his full hanyou self. Kagome had rolled her eyes at the obvious attempt to show off that he had made.

"It's a concealment charm" Inuyasha explained, "Since youkai 'don't exist' anymore, according to most people, anyone with youkai blood has to hide their less human features. It also can make it harder for others to pick up on youki."

"I'm surprised that youkai would bother. Most youkai are usually rather proud, and would rather die then be compared to humans" Miroku noted.

"Yeah, it took a lot of encouragement to get youkai to follow through. There were still some who tried to refuse. At least until Hiroshima scared them into compliance. Now, youkai think that humans are dangerous and shouldn't be provoked" Inuyasha answered.

"What?"

Kagome waved her hand, "History stuff. We can go over all that later – especially since you two are both going to need at least a basic level of understanding of certain things to get by in this time period."

"I guess that means there isn't a way to return to the past" Sango said.

"I tried jumping through the well every day until Inuyasha found me. He waited by the well for centuries, jumping in every three days to see if it would work. We don't know any other method of time travel" Kagome replied, "We can look into it, but researching this kind of stuff isn't easy. So, unless you guys just plan on hiding until we find something, it would be best to get you two adjusted to this time period."

Inuyasha frowned, "I know what it's like. Closing your eyes for a second, then opening them to discover that your entire world has changed, people you loved out of your reach and the uncertainty and fear of the unknown. But you do have a lot of people on your side."

"We trust you. So what do we have to do?" Miroku asked.

With that out of the way, Inuyasha pulled out a small device and started to tap it repeatedly. Kagome explained that the device was a phone, which was used in this time period as a form of long-distance, instant communication. He had made a 'group chat', where he had informed either those who needed to know, or deserved to know, about Miroku and Sango's reappearance. Kagome then continued with the explanation of everything that would be required to get them to properly fit into society without any major issues. It wouldn't be easy, but they had access to the resources to make it happen.

There were the basics. Names and identities were discussed first, the biggest surprise there was that in this time period everyone had last names. Unfortunately, that also meant they'd have to have fake families, which could cause a whole lot of issues to anyone who decided to really look into their backgrounds. They'd also have to work on the education that they both had, as a wealth of knowledge in multiple fields was a requirement in this time. It also was a requirement for jobs, which they would have been expected to either be studying for, or to already have obtained. Inuyasha mentioned he may have had a solution to that one, he'd just need to double check things first. Adjustments to the technology that they had never seen before was something could wait, however, as it would happen the more they interacted with the world around them.

The biggest thing they seemed concerned about was Miroku and Sango's attire. Fashion had changed in the past five centuries, and the current clothing of their companions looked a little dated. With a device Kagome pulled out, which looked like a larger version of Inuyasha's phone, Kagome showed them some of the different styles and trends of fashion in this era. Miroku had been quite pleased by everything he had seen, and was absolutely certain that he would be fine when he adjusted to this era. Sango was less impressed, and possibly slightly annoyed by his eagerness. The fashion styles were a little all over the place – some were plain, some were completely chaotic in design, some they were familiar with, others they had no idea what to make of.

They used something called 'Pinterest' to create different boards to record different ideas of what they wanted to try. The system seemed rather easy. They two of them would use their fingers to either scroll or select images, with the option to 'pin' the ones they liked for easy access later. Then they could visit stores and try to find clothing that was similar to what they liked in the images.

There attention was suddenly drawn by Inuyasha, "Fuck!"

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha turned to the door, "We have some pleasant and not-so-pleasant company."

"You really shouldn't use such vulgar language in front of women, uncle. It can lead to them having a less then desirable impression of you."

With that, out came two women. The first one struck Miroku as familiar, though he couldn't place why. She was dressed in purple shirt, lined with buttons, that was tucked into a black, flowy skirt that reached her knees. She was also decked out in jewellery, though he didn't have time to admire them as she instantly jumped to trap Inuyasha in a big hug. He had to hold back a snicker at the slight squeal of 'Yashie' she had made as she had done so. The other girl looked younger, around the age of fifteen, if Miroku had to guess. She dressed in a white shirt of similar style to the woman she had come in with. She had loose, dark pink pants, that came up far more than most clothing Miroku had seen from this era.

The woman cuddling Inuyasha looked up and smiled at the two confused people seated, "Miroku-sama, Sango-sama, it's good to see you two again!"

Miroku was about to ask if they knew the woman, before Sango suddenly went still, "Rin-chan?"

"Nice to know I haven't changed too much" Rin laughed, "If you two can recognise me, I must be doing something right."

Kagome had a smile of barely concealed rage, "Apparently, Sesshoumaru decided to marry Rin. Even though he kinda raised her."

"I keep telling you, sister, that I only spent a year with him at most. He left me to be raised in a village after that, and didn't have much of a hand in it. Besides, it wasn't like I was forced into it. And, it was the_ Sengoku jidai_. There were way worse things that could have happened to me, and way worse men I could have married" Rin replied.

"Look, let's not get off topic, why the hell are you two here?" Inuyasha asked.

"Sess was a bit–"

The unnamed girl interrupted, "Father was certain of your incompetence leading to you overlooking something. He was correct. You've really proven yourself to be quite the fool."

"Shut up brat!"

"Amaya, don't be rude to your uncle!"

"Uncle?"

Rin patted Amaya on the shoulder, "This is my daughter, Amaya. She's Inuyasha niece, obviously."

"I see that she's inherited her father's charms" Miroku said.

"In Inuyasha's haste to arrive, he took his motorbike. I have no idea how he planned to get you to a more suitable location, but I highly doubt it was one that would have worked" Amaya stated, "So, mother and I brought the car."

"That... would have been a good idea, actually..." Inuyasha admitted.

Miroku was completely confused. At least he wasn't the only.


	4. Chapter 4

Sango had been somewhat accurate in her guess at what a motorcycle was, though she could never had imagined the mysterious machine before her. The appearance of it made no sense – Kagome's bicycle at least had pedals that explained how it moved forward. But Inuyasha's motorcycle seemed to have nothing similar to that. Though Sango could see the ways the motorcycle was superior to the bicycle. The seat looked a lot more comfortable, and if it truly didn't need any physical actions on the riders part to move, it would be less exhausting. The real enigma was Amaya's 'car'. Sango couldn't even begin to imagine how that worked. The motorcycle seemed so much simpler in comparison.

Inuyasha decided to make a demonstration of how it worked. After he had talked to Rin and Amaya about seating arrangements, and locations to meet up at, Inuyasha tossed Kagome his jacket, along with a helmet that looked like it would obscure one's vision. The two climbed onto the machine, with Kagome wrapping her arms tightly around Inuyasha's waist. With a slight movement, the motorcycle made a noise Sango could only compare to thunder, and then it shot off faster than anything Sango could possibly compare it to at the moment.

Sango instantly decided that she wanted one.

"I wonder why Kagome-sama didn't bring one of those through the well instead" Miroku questioned, "It seems rather efficient as a form of transportation."

Amaya scoffed, "I couldn't explain all the reasons why that would have been a bad idea even if you gave me a week."

"Amaya be polite. I'm so sorry Miroku-sama, Sango-sama" Rin added.

Sango brushed it off, but Miroku obviously couldn't help himself, "It's fine, Rin-san. I'm just hoping your other children take more after you, than their father."

"Just get into the car" Amaya stated.

The car may have seemed more complicated, but Sango couldn't disagree with the obvious practicality of it. The interior was very comfortable. It was able to seat more people, as well as fit in equipment. And it was no doubt more safe for humans than the other forms of transportation Sango had seen. It took a bit of fumbling with the seat belts to get everything to work, but they had managed. Another bonus of the car came to light as she found she could relax and idly watch the world around her as they moved throughout the city. Even Kirara seemed interested in watching, as she moved from her position in Sango's lap to her shoulder.

There were buildings stretched taller than any trees she had ever seen, and were huddled together with smaller ones between them. People walked the street completely unafraid, all wearing different kinds of clothing. Neutral, colorful, simple or elaborate. Everything stood out. There were people on devices of many different kinds, or eating strange foods that Sango couldn't recognize. This world seemed almost impossible; if Sango didn't know any better, she would have thought she had been dreaming the entire time.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Sango noticed at first that it seemed like it was on it's own closed-off section compared to everywhere else. Then she noticed that the designs of the buildings they arrived at familiar to her. It seemed like Inuyasha liked having some traditional things in his life. Though it quickly became clear that while Inuyasha lived here, he lived the smaller building connected to the main house. This was actually Sesshomaru's home. According to Rin, he liked to keep everyone close – it made it easier to keep them all out of trouble. The seclusion also meant that this was an area where youkai could freely walk around without concealing their true forms.

"Miroku-sama! Sango-chan!"

Kagome ran forward, Inuyasha right behind her. They had managed to arrive much quicker than their group had, so Sango wondered why Kagome looked a little tired. And Inuyasha had that look on his face, the sour one he makes whenever something doesn't go his way and he's finally given up on arguing. Something had happened, but Kagome seemed to brush it all off with a smile.

"We've prepared your rooms for you and organised some clothing you can borrow until we properly go out to get your own" Kagome stated, "You might want to get changed. We're about to get really busy."

Sango frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing serious, just some asshole with a stick up his ass isn't happy about how much paper work your existence has made" Inuyasha supplied, which got him gently slapped on the shoulder by Kagome.

"Should we be worried?" Miroku asked.

Kagome shook her head, "Of course not. Everything will work out just fine, promise!"

* * *

Miroku really enjoyed modern clothing.

While the clothes he wore weren't the most comfortable (especially the jeans), he did enjoy the look they gave off. Without being sexual, the clothes made him look very attractive, and he was confident that, if he wanted to, he could charm a crowd of ladies with ease. However, as Inuyasha went over the basics of clothing, he did mention a couple of reasons why he'd have to hide his lecherous ways from now on. There were major penalties for being a creep, according to Inuyasha, and he seemed serious about how little he could do if someone did get upset with him. It was a shame, but he also knew that neither Inuyasha nor Kagome expected him to completely forget his ways.

After all, his room was only separate to Sango's thanks to a divider.

And they were located far enough away from Inuyasha's room to be well out of hearing range.

Once Miroku was certain he was done, he decided to head over to Sango. He had no doubt that she would, unfortunately, have been finished dressing before he had. Kagome wouldn't have had a reason to go over the whole no groping policy that Inuyasha had. And he was right when he entered; Sango had been staring at her feet, absentmindedly petting Kirara when he walked in. Of course he caught her attention rather quickly as she had an excellent ability to keep track of her surroundings that even Inuyasha could be a little impressed by.

"Trying to catch me undressing, Houshi-sama?"

Miroku placed a hand over his heart, "Your words wound me, Sango. You know I would never."

"Right" she stated, "Because you're usually so well behaved."

"You've been distracted ever since we got released from the mirror. I can tell that something is bothering you, Sango" Miroku said.

Sango turned away, "It's nothing. Let's go meet up with– Miroku?!"

Miroku had decided to take matters into his own hands, and wrapped his arms around Sango after she turned away from him. It had surprised her, obviously, but he knew that she needed that contact. He pulled her closer to him, but made no move that could spoil the moment. Right now, there was something going on inside her head, and she needed to let someone in on it.

"Sango... please..."

There was a pause.

"I only just got him back. I only just got Kohaku back and... and..." she turned around and pressed her face into his chest, "I disappeared! He doesn't even know what happened to me! And he wasn't the only one who would have mourned us! This whole place – it's as terrifying as it is beautiful, and I... I... I don't know what to do!"

Miroku wasn't sure what to do. But he held her as she cried, and prayed that it would be enough.


End file.
